'Family Guy' recap: Brian's a Bad Father

This week’s episode of Family Guy followed it’s typical double storyline archetype.

The first of the two plots centers around an incident, which begins with Peter, Quagmire, and Joe on a hunting trip. As the three rest and have a bite to eat during the evening, Quagmire expresses his discomfort with the direction in which Peter’s gun is pointed, which is directly at Quagmire. When asked if the safety is on the gun, Peter replies that it is, aims the gun at Quagmire, and attempts to fire a round, however, as the safety actually is on nothing happens. Peter then decides to take the safety off of the gun and shoot Quagmire to show him what happens when the gun’s safety is not on.

Following this incident, Quagmire is understandably upset when he next encounters Peter at The Drunken Clam, their local bar. He tells Peter what most are apparently afraid to say, that Peter is an idiot and the two have a falling out.

They both vie for the attention of their mutual friend, Joe, who initially does not want to choose between the two, but eventually chooses Quagmire after Peter does something inappropriate and unforgivable.

After struggling with the notion of suicide, Peter asks Quagmire to shoot him, believing it will mend their friendship. However, when Quagmire agrees to Peter’s proposition without hesitation, Peter withdraws his offer, having thought Quagmire would thank him for the gesture, but decline. The two struggle over the gun, however, Joe, a police officer, pulls out his own gun and shoots Peter in the arm to settle the situation, but Quagmire isn’t satisfied as he still hasn’t performed his act of vengeance. With Peter distracted by his gunshot wound, Quagmire take the gun from Peter, shoots him in the head, and the friendship between the three resumes while Peter recovers from his injury.

The secondary plot of this episode focuses around the title as Brian’s rarely seen son, Dylan Flannigan, reaches out to him.

After Dylan’s introduction in Season 6 of Family Guy, his appearance were nonexistent, however, in this episode, it is apparent that Dylan had made numerous attempts to connect with Brian, who screens and ignores his phone calls.

During one such phone call, Stewie answers, much to Brian’s annoyance and hands Brian the phone. Dylan explains that he will be in town and would like to see Brian and the two agree to meet up at a coffee shop once he arrives.

When the time comes for their meeting, Brian makes up excuses about why he believes he shouldn’t see his son. However, when a news segment appears on the television and names Dylan as the new star of a show, Brian hurriedly leaves the house without a word and speeds off to meet his son.

As a failed writer, Brian is often looking for the next opportunity to further his career and over his lunch with Dylan, he not so subtly hints that he would like to write for his son’s show and Dylan hesitantly agrees to see if he can do anything.

To Brian’s joy, Dylan is able to get him a position as a writer for the show, but Brian’s pompous narcissism and mildly controlling ways get him fired after a short time and while asking Dylan for his help in getting his job back, Dylan realizes that his father never truly cared for him and was only using him to get ahead in his career. Dylan calls Brian a terrible father and Brian accepts what Dylan has said.

As he sits at home drinking cheap alcohol, Brian acknowledges his failure as a father and Stewie suggests he apologize to Dylan genuinely instead of sending text messages. Brian agrees that Stewie is right and sets off to apologize to Dylan, however, upon reaching the set, he learns he is barred.

Stewie manages to get a job acting on the show and delivers Brian’s apology to Dylan as an adlib and father and son reconcile.